Lighter for gas burners



1942- E. H. MUELLER 2,291,914-

LIGHTER FOR GAS BURNERS Filed Dad. 29, 1959 INVENTOR. I'm/m v4. MueZZer ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 4, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIGHTER FOR GAS BURNERS Ervin H. Mueller, Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.

Application December 29, 1939, Serial No. 311,658

1 Claim.

This invention relates to lighters for gas burners such as the burners in a gas stove or range.

The invention is directed particularly to improvements in lighters of the automatic type where there is a constantly burning pilot flame with so-called flash tubes extending from the pilot flame to each burner. In a lighter of this type gas is caused to flow through the flash tube to the pilot flame when gas is supplied to a burner; the gas which thus flows to the pilot flame is ignited and there is a flash back or explosion of the gas in the flash tube so as to effect an ignition of the gas issuing from the burner. The present invention is directed particularly to improvements at the location of the association between the burner and the one end of the flash tube.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement which will be particularly effective and eflicient and which is arranged so as to set up a secondary igniting flame adjacent the burner which may and preferably does serve to directly ignite the gas from the burner and which is supported by gas which is supplied to the burner. The accomplishments and results and efliciency of the arrangement will be better understood as these points are brought out in the detailed description.

Fig. 1 is a plan view illustrating a part of agas stove showing some of the burners thereof.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view largely in plan and showing some parts in cross section and illustrating the relative arrangement of a burner and flash tube.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view partly in cross section taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view similar to Figs. 3 and 5 showing a further modified form.

The frame or sheet metal housing of a gas stove is generally illustrated at I, while a gas supply pipe or manifold is shown at 2. Two complete burners are shown as at 3 and 4 with their usual mixing tubes 5 and 6. There may be other burners (not shown) having mixing tubes 1 and 8. The several mixing tubes receive gas from the pipe 2 through the means of the usual control valves '9. The mixing tubes have enlarged or bell shaped ends III for the entrance of a controllable quantity of air.

The lighter embodies a centrally disposed housing or the like I2 to which a small tube l3 leads.

The tube I3 is connected to the pipe 2 as shown, and furnishes gas to support a constantly buming pilot flame at M. There is a flash tube I! which extends from the pilot flame to-each bumer. Each flash tube has an open end adiacent the flame and an open end adjacent the burner. In the particular form shown, each flash tube comprises two tube members telescopingly arranged as shown in Fig. 2 so that the flash tube is quickly adaptable to varying distances between the burner and the pilot flame. Those versed in the art are very well acquainted with the operation of a lighter of this kind; when gas is supplied, for example, to the burner 3, some of the gas is caused to flow through the flash tube associated therewith to be ignited by the flame l4, and there is an explosion or flash back for lighting the burner. So far as the present invention is concerned the arrangement at the pilot flame, including the housing or support l2 and the manner of associating theends of the flash tubes therewith, may take any one of various forms.

The effective end of the tube adjacent the burner is shown at 20, and an arm integral with the tube stock and which may be of an embossed nature for strength purposes projects from the end of the tube as indicated at 2|. A tip or spud 22 has a downwardly projecting part 23 arranged to be fitted in an aperture. in a burner such as the burner 3. Metal which may also be integral with the tube and at the free end of the arm 2| is fashioned to form sort of a housing or casing for the tip. As shown, the metal is fashioned to form a side wall 24 and a side wall 25, on opposite sides of the tip, with a top wall 26 covering the same, while a portion of the metal as at 21 may be fashioned to partially overlie the side of the tip opposite the end of the tube.

The body of the tip above the extension 23 may be of rectangular formation and the tip is formed with a passageway 23. An element in the form of a bushing 23 may be passed into the upper end of the passage 28 through an aperture in the wall 26 of the sheet metal, and the bushing has a bead )r shoulder which overlies the wall 26. Thus the bushing which may be press fitted into the passage 28 holds the tip in the housing. An overhanging. guide or deflector 33 may be fashioned integrally with the bushing and it overhangs the passage 28 in the sense that it is angularly disposed toward the end of the flash tube. The deflector 33 is preferably of channelled form. The tip is also provided with an aperture 30 provided with an extension 3| which may be integral with the tip or a separate piece in the form of a bushing. The walls 25 and 26, and the wall 24, project from the face of the tip toward the open end of the flash tube. The projecting part of the wall 24 may reside primarily in the adjacent part of the arm 2|. This projecting formation of the housing walls, together with the projection 3|, form an open area or recess 32 positioned back of the open end of the gas outlet 3|.

The structure operates as follows: When gas is supplied to the burner the gas escapes from the burner. apertures 3a, as shown in Fig. 3, and through the passage 28. Gas also flows through the outlet 3| across the space between thetip and the end of the flash tube, and then into the flash tube and to the pilot flame where it is ignited. This results in a flash back or sort of explosion, and the gas issuing from the outlet 30 is ignited to form a flame A. This results in an ignition of the gas issuing through the bushing 29, resulting in flame B. The gas issuing from the bushing 29 may be ignited by the flash action, but this is not necessary since it is only required that the flash action ignite the gas issuing from the outlet 3|. In this latter event the flame A ignites the gas, setting up flame B. This is facilitated by the overhanging guide 33 which causes the gas to flow to a position sufllciently above the flame A for ignition purposes. The flame B extends towardly and is in ignited relation to the gas issuing from the ports 3a as indicated.

The area 32, in effect, constitutes a reservoir for secondary air, and it surrounds the extended ignition tip 3|. The presence of the air back of the face of the ignition tip 3| results in a mixture of air with the gas issuing from the ignition tip, and this assures a more positive and quiet ignition. In this connection it will be noted that the space between the tip and the end of the tube is open on all sides, except at the location of the arm 2|, and this facilitates the entrance of air into the reservoir and minimizes up draft or stack action. The flames A and B burn so long as the gas burner is in operation, and should the burner be extinguished by a draft or the like the gas will be re-ignited by the flame B.

A modified form of tip is shown in Fig. 5. In this form many of the parts are the same and such parts bear reference characters which are the same as those previously used. The tip 22a is held in a housing structure like that previously described, and it has the bushing 29a and the overhanging guide or deflector 33a. In this form, however, there is no reservoir for air, since the open end of the outlet port 30a is flush with the face of the tip. There is provided, however, an

additional angular port 35 for aiding in the igniting action. Gas issuing from the port 30 flows into the flash tube and is ignited on the flash back action, and the gas issuing from the angular port 35 aids incarrying the flame upwardly to ignite the gas issuing from the bushing 29. Thus, in addition to the flames B and A. there is a third igniting flame C. The flash action may ignite the gas for all three flames or may ignite only the flame A which is then carried upwardly by the flame to start the flame B.

In Fig. 6 a further modifled form is shown wherein there is but a single igniting flame. This may be suitable in some installations. The tip 22b is held in a housing as previously described, and it has a passage 28b and an outlet passage with the extension or bushing 3| b. The tip may be held in the housing by an integral part of its body extended through an aperture in the housing and fashioned over to eflect a rivet-like action as indicated at 36. As shown, this tip is arranged to provide the reservoir for air 32b. This structure in igniting, insofar as the secondary air in the reservoir is concerned, functions like the form shown in Fig. 3. However, the flame -A" is sufliciently close to the ports 3b of the burner to ignite the gas issuing therefrom without the employment of a second igniting flame corresponding to the flame B. This form may be used where the arrangement and burner structure is such that the flame A" will assure ignition of gas issuing from the burner ports.

I claim:

In a flash tube structure of a lighter for a gas burner having burner ports, a tube member for extending from a pilot flame to the burner, a jet member for association with the burner, means connecting the tube member and jet member with the jet member spaced from the end of the tube, the jet member having a side opening for directing gas in a horizontal direction into the end of the tube for ignition purposes, said jet member having an upwardly directed opening for gas supplied from the burner, and a deflector extending upwardly from the jetand angularly toward the open end of the tube so as to overlie the upwardly directed opening to deflect and guide the gas issuing therefrom into a position substantially over and above the open end of the side opening, whereby the flame of the ignited gas issuing from said side opening ignites the deflected and guided gas issuing from the upwardly directed opening, the flame of the gas issuing from the upwardly directed opening being in a position to ignite the gas issuing from the said ports of the burner.

ERVIN H. MUELLER. 

